The way food is presented affects a person’s perception of how it will taste. People instinctively reject bruised apples and browned bananas, and recognize well-marbled beef and perfectly ripe produce. Prepared dishes work in the same manner. The perfect dish includes food that tastes as good as it looks.

Much of the artistry of cooking comes after the food has been cooked and it is time to transfer it from pot to plate. Here, chefs rise above cooks as they arrange the different components on a plate like interior designers place furniture to create culinary masterpieces.

The home chef faces similar circumstances on a nightly basis. Whether you’re entertaining, preparing a special meal or jazzing up an old favorite, these food presentation tips will set your dishes apart from the crowd.

Plating the FoodPlating is the act of arranging the meal on the individual plate immediately before it’s served. Presentation should look natural. It should feel as though everything that is on the plate is meant to be exactly where it is. Try to strike a balance between having enough food on the plate to convey hospitality without overcrowding the plate—and potentially offending your guest. Try to leave one-third of the plate empty, and plate your dish immediately before you serve it. It goes without saying that hot food should be hot and cold food should be cold; always check the temperature of your food before you serve it to a guest. After you have put the food on the plate, check to see that the plate is clean. Plate edges should be especially immaculate. Clean spills or sauces away with a moistened clean sponge or paper towel.

Decorate the FrameIf the food is the masterpiece, then the plate is its frame. Adapt artistic framing strategies to your cooking for a quick way to improve your food’s presentation. Buy beautiful bowls and plates in a variety of shapes and colors. The same bowl of soup looks dramatically different in a small Asian ceramic cup and an oversized, shallow white French consommé bowl.

You can also decorate the rim of a plate, just as you’d decorate a frame. Use culinary elements like colorful spices or confectioner’s sugar; specialty salts like Hawaiian alaea or Himalayan pink salt also lend themselves wonderfully to this purpose.

For small appetizers, part of the presentation is making the display platter look beautiful. Make a bed of uncooked soba noodles or flat rice sticks, shafts of wheat, or large sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme. This is also a good trick to use if you are preparing an hors d’oeuvre platter.

If you’re decorating a plate that will hold hot food, be aware that by the time you’re finished garnishing the plate, the food may not be hot. In some cases, you can garnish the plate before you plate the food. If this is impossible, work quickly and have all of your garnishes close by.

Mix Shapes, Colors and TexturesFood is naturally beautiful. Combine foods with different shapes, colors and textures on the same plate. Grilled filet mignon becomes even more decadent when it appears on the plate with stark white mashed potatoes and a bright green steamed vegetable.

In this case, these different elements combine for a dish that catches the eye. If your plate will contain multiple elements, use an odd number of dishes rather than an even number for further interest. Grilled filet mignon with mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus looks great, but add a stack of sliced tomatoes and the combination becomes regimented and less remarkable.

Try to integrate a variety of shapes in each dish. Risotto is boring when paired with rice, as the two are nearly identical in shape, color and size. Meatballs and brussels sprouts are different colors but the same shape. But meatballs and rice make an interesting combination, as do risotto and brussels sprouts.

For a restaurant-worthy twist on traditional side-by-side plating, stack the components of your dish vertically. Arrange asparagus into a teepee on the plate, with a dipping sauce in the center; make salads more cylindrical than vertical. This approach can make any plate instantly more interesting.

Keep in mind that sometimes the most aesthetically pleasing plate of food does not include a garnish. For example, crème brulee features a delicate, crunchy top layer. While its appearance can certainly be improved with a small garnish or beautiful brulee dish, the texture and color of the caramelized sugar is beautiful enough on its own.

Hollowed-out BowlsSome fruits and vegetables naturally lend themselves to use as a bowl. You can hollow out any fruit with a hard peel or rind like watermelons, apples, melons or pumpkins to make an attractive bowl for soups, dips or dressings.

Get creative and match the bowl with its ingredients. For example, serve watermelon lemonade out of a hollowed-out watermelon. Spoon a peppery dip into hollowed-out bell peppers, or warm applesauce in hollowed-out apples. You can also serve savory chowder or spicy chili in toasted crusty bread rolls.

GarnishesGarnishes can be as simple or intricate as you like. For a twist on the traditional parsley sprig, use a sprig or two of an herb or spice that was used in the dish. A ham flavored with rosemary might feature a sprig of rosemary on each plate. Spicy pad thai can include a wedge of lemon or lime and a dash of paprika sprinkled around the plate.

You can also garnish with small fans of fruits and vegetables like cucumber, pineapple, avocado, citrus, kiwi or apple. Slice the fruit or vegetable into thin rounds, leaving ¼” of flesh connected on one side to hold the rounds together. Gently spread out the slices and arrange them neatly in an arc. Several kitchen tools are available that will help you transform nearly any fruit into an attractive garnish for a plate.

The key to selecting a garnish is picking a garnish that will improve the dish. Garnishes add color and continue a theme, such as a brightly colored orchid on top of passion fruit crème brulee. They can accent a dish’s color, like chives on top of a baked potato, or a dish’s flavor.

Garnishes can provide complementary flavor, like peanuts in pad thai, or contrasting flavor, like a lemon wedge with seafood. An entrée’s sauce also makes a delicious garnish. Swirl it around or atop the plate for visual and gustatory interest.

The way food looks on the plate is the most commonly ignored facet of cooking at home. Too often, other considerations such as time, money, and food allergies push presentation out of mind. Since most children and their families eat their main meals at home, attractive food presentation is just as important at home as it is in a restaurant. A dish that looks good is more likely to be eaten. Even picky kids will forego sugary cereal in favor of Mickey Mouse-shaped waffles or a plate with over easy egg eyes, a bacon smile and potato cheeks. You can even trick your own palate into liking brussels sprouts, zucchini and other healthy produce with a beautiful arrangement on a dish.

How Much Do You Know About Food?You know that brownies taste better when they're just out of the oven and that cranberry sauce will taste bitter if you don't add enough sugar. But do you know who invented the brownie or how to select the ripest cranberries? Aside from knowing which foods you love to curl up with, how much do really know about the history and fun facts of your favorite foods? Find out now.